In this episode, we rewind back to highlight our discussions and key principles on job boards, interviewing, salary negotiations and consulting. We also highlight the experiences of two of our listeners, Joanna and Suzy who give us some great stories and golden nuggets around consulting. We'd love to hear your stories and feedback so please use the “Contact Us” on our website or just email us at offnowwhat@gmailcom.

This is our last episode of Season 2 as we take a break for the Holidays and the New Year. Use the Winter break to catch up on our episodes or relisten to some of your favorites.

Remember to check out on our website www.overfiftyandfired.com 1) O.F.F Toolkit which provides the links and resources we refer to in our podcast; and 2) O.F.F. Wine Recommendations, both Reds and Whites now!

We’ll be back in February with two new series on changing careers and franchising.

In this episode, we lucked out and one of our favorite One-O.F.F. guests, Suzy who last week talked about turning a passion into an independent consulting opportunity was able to extend her visit for us to get a few more pearls of wisdom. Suzy boils down what were the key 8 steps that helped her take an opportunity for independent consulting into a completed project and how she set her up for success for the next one.

So do you have a talent, interest, or passion. Well it might just be a means to a job opportunity and career. In this episode, we discuss how to leverage a passion to create an independent consulting business. We're lucky to have one of our favorite One-O.F.F. guests, Suzy to talk about her experience in creating this opportunity for herself. Maybe you too have a passion that can turn into career experience!

Having experience gives you options, one of which is consulting. We discuss with our guest Joanna, on how to leverage your expertise to consult, whether you’re a sole proprietor of your own business or working in an established company. We discuss how to establish those all important networks to developing proposals and much more.

Check out our O.F.F. Toolkit for 1) a list of agencies who act as a resource to connect experts / consultants with companies who are looking for specific expertise. These engagements could range from just a one hour consult to a long term project; 2) a list of questions that any consultant should be ready to answer and give examples during their client engagement.

Why consider striking out on your own or with partners versus seeking a position in the current job market? We discuss seven advantages of building your own business and becoming an entrepreneur.

It can be a scary proposition to create your own business but it might be an alternative way to achieve your career and personal goals. Plus you can always continue to look for that dream job while doing contract projects, putting those years of experience to work for you in the meantime. Who knows, you might even love it and turn into a full-time business!

Interviewing is never easy. So to make it easier we’ve developed seven core principles to keep you focused and on track for success. Remember don’t get discouraged, it’s a journey and use every opportunity as a learning experience.

Check our this week’s episode to find out. We give our listeners our top ten interview questions that are frequently asked by recruiters, HR, and managers. We even ask each other one of those tough questions.

So ask yourself, are you ready for those frequently asked interview questions?

Our top ten Interview FAQs are also available on our website in the O.F.F. Toolkit and don’t forget our O.F.F. wine recommendations.

So the interview is over and that’s a relief but now what? In this episode, we cover six tips on what to consider when doing follow-up communications post your interview. We even give some helpful hints on what to include as content in those “must do” email thank yous.

Be diligent and don’t forget to follow through!

Enjoy this week’s wine recommendation and check the O.F.F. Tools link for those six tips for those communications.

Interviewing is all about putting your best foot forward and showcasing the value you can bring to an organization. In this episode, we provide six tips so that you can have an Oscar-winning performance in your interview, whether it’s virtual, by phone or in-person.

We also cover how to deal with the different interviewers that you may encounter, ranging from the recruiter, all the way to senior management.

Just when you thought you never had to do homework again. If you’re job searching you really need to prepare for the interviewing phase. In episode 25, we outline what to consider when getting ready for your interviews. Doing your homework, minimizes the potential for surprises and builds your confidence. Although it takes time and effort, the pay off is ten-fold.

Check out our O.F.F Toolkit for an essential approach called S.T.A.R. that you should leverage for any interview. Don’t forget to check our wine recommendation -- it’s a white wine for once!

For many of us job boards are a new experience and challenge. Looking for job postings in the newspaper is a thing of the past. Many of us over 40 and 50 may have been on the receiving end as we requested candidates but using them to find our own opportunities is a different story.

Online job boards like ZipRecruiter, Indeed and Glassdoor and sites that facilitate business connections such as Linkedin are now the new normal. In this episode, we give some tips on how to navigate the maze and how to use these tools to your advantage.

Don’t stress out! Just take it one step at a time. Remember it’s a journey.

This is our last episode of Season 1 as we take a break for the summer. But we won’t be completely podcast silent. We’ll be providing sneak previews of Season 2 and of course continuing our wine recommendations but this time focusing on some nice refreshing white wines.

In this episode, we rewind back to highlight key lessons learned and discuss the progress we’ve made on our journey. We also highlight our listeners who have appeared on past episodes and sent us their stories and golden nuggets.

We'd love to hear your stories and feedback so please use the contact us on our website or just email us at offnowwhat@gmail.com. Use the summer break to catch up on our episodes or re-listen to some of your favorites. Remember to check out our O.F.F Toolkit and Wine Recommendation on our website.

In Episode 21 we finish our series on Networking by getting into the use of recruiters and outplacement services as a way to enhance your network.

We have our past colleague, Prem back for a third time to give us helpful hints on how to effectively use recruiters and outplacement services to maximize potential opportunities. He gave some great advise on how to use recruiters to better understand the marketplace and companies, how to identify who are the clowns and how to build a win-win relationship with the non-clowns.

We also have one of our listeners Jelena, who gave use some golden nuggets on how to deal with recruiters based on her own experience.

Of course the ultimate goal of building your Linkedin connections is to have them transition into real-life networking. In this episode, we continue our session on “Getting Social” through networking meetings with one of our listeners, Scott.

Scott shares with us the different type of networking meetings available such as Elevator and Target Meetings, Job Search Boot Camps, Job Fairs, Job Search Work Groups with Accountability Partners, etc. He also talks about two noteworthy networking speakers, Absolutely Abby and Rob Thomas CT. Check out our O.F.F Toolkit on our website for more information and direct links.

The ultimate goal of building your Linkedin connections is to have them transition into real-life networking. In this episode, one of our past colleagues, Prem, joins us again to share how he builds connections with strategic partners and past colleagues the old fashion way, in real-life in order to identify and further along potential new opportunities. It’s not only about helping yourself but also helping others to further their objectives. Networking should always be a two-way street.

There are many components to building connection on the Linkedin Network. One of our listeners, Scott share the most effective ways to navigate the Linkedin maze. We cover how to build and manage up your connections, 500 being the minimum, the benefits of posting and commenting and the three golden rules: Be Purposeful, Be Direct and Be Genuine.

True success on Linkedin means virtual connections turn into real life connections. Scott also provided us with some great resources on Linkedin for career and job search assistance. Check out our O.F.F. Toolkit page for the direct links to these resources.

Networking can be whelming for many people. So in this episode, we explore the value and importance of networking and how to get started. We have a ONE-OFF discussion with one of our listeners and past colleague who has has been very successful in building his network to seed opportunities and help others.

We cover the skills and techniques to build your network, how to use them to effectively develop and uncover opportunities and the importance of being authentic as you network.